Flawed Characters in The Crucible and Romeo and Juliet Essay

I like flawed characters because somewhere in them I see more of the truth Nicolas Cages statement suggests that imperfect characters who have weaknesses help us understand the true honesty in them. This is true because characters who remind us of real people and actions have weaknesses just like us. Through the works of literature of The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, and Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, it becomes easier for one to see the truth and suffering that one flawed character deals with rather than in a perfect character where everything is sunnier.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller shows us the truth in a flawed character named John Proctor. John Proctor is an imperfect character who commits adultery. His actions that go on through a series of events show us the truth in him. He goes to court to defend his wife, Elizabeth. Admitting to adultery and risking his good name gave him traits of a realistic character. Through his flawed character we can observe that this man died telling the truth. His actions concluded that he had to find peace within himself.

A theme that we see in The Crucible is adultery. John Proctor committing adultery is an important part of this play. Because of John Proctors flaws we see a realistic person in him. His weakness was that he lusted for Abigail Williams. He made a human mistake which makes him an imperfect person. A ironic part of this play was when John Proctor confessed to adultery, he says his wife was aware of it. He also mentioned that Elizabeth would never tell a lie. The irony in this was when Elizabeth was questioned by the judge, and she told a lie to save her husbands good name. This is ironic because it is unexpected that a good person like Elizabeth would become flawed.

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare shows us a flawed character in Romeo, a Montague. Romeo falls in love with the daughter of his families foe. Juliet is a Capulet and a marriage between them is impossible. Romeo takes his own life showing us he had a mortal weakness for his love to Juliet. Through Romeos reaction at the end of the play, we can see the realistic human traits in him concluding that his love for Juliet was real.

A theme expressed throughout this play is the power of love overcomes all obstacles. Romeo and Juliet had to be sneaky about seeing each other. The risk of getting caught was a big worry especially when Romeo spends the night. The power of Juliets love for Romeo makes her refuse to marry Paris but she still was forced into it. Juliet drinks a potion just so she could fall asleep so she would look dead and with the help of Friar Laurence run away to Romeo. A big misunderstanding leads to Romeo believing Juliet is dead and therefore Romeo kills himself. The power of love shared between these two star crossed lovers proved they could overcome all obstacles and if they werent going to be together in life they would in death. The potion that Juliet drank symbolizes her love for Romeo. Because Juliet drank the potion, we can see that her weakness was her love for Romeo and if she couldnt love him she would not pretend to love anyone else. The power of love in this play is unquestionable but the idea of committing a immoral act is. Thus, its Romeo and Juliet suicide that makes them flawed characters.